Gas pressure regulator



May 2, 1939. 1.. w. STETTNER GAS PRESSURE REGULATOR Filed May-2] 1937 INVENTOR.

Luo w/e W STETTNER mommy.

Patented May 2,1939

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE r 2,158,823 GAS PRESSURE REGULATOR Ludwig w. Stettner, Oakland, Calif., assignor to Victor Equipment 00., San Francisco, cent, a

corporation of Delaware Application May 21, 1987, Serial No. 143,981

provided with wrench faces at I 5. Valve cage This invention relates to gas pressure regulators of the type used for reducing and regulating the pressure of welding and cutting gases, and the principal objects of'the invention' are to provide improvements in the construction of such regulators which result in a, more simple, accessible, eflicient, safe anddependable regulator than prior gas pressure regulators of this type.

Specific features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description and accompanying drawing.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a top view of my improved regulator shown full size as used for ordinary welding purposes, though i may be any size to suit anygas pressure and volume requirements.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the regulator as seenfrom theline 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is'a bottom view of the regulator.

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the reversible valve seat. 1

Figure 5 is a cross section of the valve seat taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4. c

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross section or the combined inlet deflector and gas strainer.

Figure 7 is an enlarged plan view of the lock washer which locks the outer end stem to the diaphragm nut.

In further detail I is the body of the regulator of solid metal formed with a circular low-pressure chamber 2 threaded exteriorly and covered by a of the valve bonnet 3 which clamps a. thin metal diaphragm 4 down over the slightly beveled upper edge of the low pressure chamber wall ii. Leading downwardly and'radially from the low pressure chamber are several L-shaped passages as at 6, some of which are fitted with hose or pipe connecting nipples 1, 1,-for delivering the low pressure gas to the torches or other use, and one other of which passages is provided with a relief valve 8 which will later be more freely described. At some intermediate point on the diameter of the body is a highrpressureinlet porthere shown with an inlet pipe connecting nipple 9 screwed in place and abutting at its inner end a combined deflector and straining member it. At

the inner end of the inlet port is a downwardly slanted extension inlet port ii which opens to a vertical central bore l2 which is counterbored at its upper end to provide a flat shoulder at l3, for a reversible valve seat ii.

"The enlarged upper or counterbored portion of bore I2 is threaded to receive an externally threaded tubular nut or valve cage it which extends up into the low pressure chamber and is I4 is recessed at its lower end to receive a disk valve seat assembly shown best in Figures 4 and 5, and wherein the seat is a'centrally apertured relatively thick, flat disk i6 of a slightly yielding material such as hard rubber, fiber or other suitable material tightly fdrced into a metal band i1.

The hole IS in the valve seat is of a size to pass the elongated valve stem I! which is formed or fitted with a spherical valve 29 near its lower end and thediameter of the stem is reduced for a distance above the valve 20 as at 2| to permit free passage of gas around it through hole l8 and also to give the spherical valve freedom'for perfect seating against the lower edge of the hole.

The valve stem continues in reduced diameter 1 below the valve as at 22 ahd is provided with a loose shouldered collar 23 which centers a light compression spiral spring 24 which normally urges the valve upward to closed position. The diaphragm 4 is centrally apertured, and

clamped against it from opposite sides is a pair of tubular hubbed flanges 25, 20, the tubular hubs of the flanges being threaded and screwed one into-the other as indicated and with a gasket 21 interposed between the lower flange and the underside of the diaphragm. The threaded hub 25' of flange 25 projects above the threaded hub 26'01 flange 26 and is surmounted by an inverted cup-like member 28 which screws over it and fits gas-tight at its lower edge against the upper edge Of hub 26'. Q.

Flange 26 seats against the central portion of the diaphragm but at its edges is tapered away from the diaphragm to overlap and impinge the .inner margins of a soft rubber stabilizing washer 29 which is almost as large in outer diameter as the low pressure chamber.

Valve stem l9 extends smoothly through a central bore in flange hub 25 and is normally retained with slight upward tension of the diaphragm upon it by means of a slotted lock washer 30 whichengages into a groove cut around the valve stem near its upper end. Inverted cup nut 35, a steel ball 36 being interposed between the lower end of the screw and the follower to reduce the friction at that point of pressure. i

To reduce the tendency of freezing at point of inlet of the high pressure gas I provide the assembly Ill (see Figure 6 for details) and which includes a concave deflector 31 positioned in an enlarged chamber 88 formed at the inner end of the inlet nipple 9 and directed toward the incoming high pressure gas stream, and a series of scattering screens to break the direct impact of the gas. The screensinclude two relatively thick perforated outer disks 39, 40, to the latter of which the deflector is secured as by soldering or riveting, and intermediate the perforated disks 1 are two or more disks ll of flne woven wire cloth and three or more disks of soft felt 42. In time rthis assembly may gather foreign matter if any should be in the incoming gas, but if so the assembly may easily be discarded by unscrewing nipple 9 and inserting a fresh assembly.

In case valve should ever fail to seat absolutely tight and permit an unsafe pressure to be slowly built up in the low pressure chamber, relief valve '8 will take care of the excess. This is shown as a disk 43 of slightly flexible material such as hard rubber, forced to seat at its margins against an annular shoulder 44 by outer threaded tubular member 8 and centrally urged against an annular lip 45 formed on the outer end of passage 1, the degree of pressure against the lip being controlled by iral compression spring 46 acting against a plunger 41 in turn pressing against a block 41 slightly rounded on-its inner'face where it contacts the disk Spring it reacts at V its outer end against the end of a tubular nut 48 ing of the diaphragm, and the lower surface of 55 valve spring 24, may alLbe removed, or replaced from above, upon unscrewing the bonnet, and

flange is therefore cross grooved as at 5! to provide for escape of gas when touching valve cage member I.

In considering the construction above set out, it should be noted that the diaphragm,- its controlling sprins. valve, valve cage, valve seat, and

that there is no removable portion or closure at bling or adjusting the parts, though this may be readily done without unscrewing any of its piping if the regulator is already installed. 1

To disassemble the structure shown in Figure-2, the bonnet 3 is flrst unscrewed, spring 32 lifted out, thimble 2| unscrewed, lock washer slipped out laterally from groove in valve stem, diaphragm l and its flanges lifted off, cage l5 unscrewed and valve stem lifted out bringing the cage and valve seat l6 along with it, and after which spring 24 and follower 23 may be either dumped out, or lifted out with a small pair of pliers. In reassembling, the valve and its follower and spring are more easily inserted if the body is inverted.

The whole operation of disassembling and reassembling can be done in a few moment's. time without the use of special tools.

In operation this simplified gas regulator functions like any single stage gas pressure regulator of thespring diaphragm controlled type to automatically hold the low pressure at any required point, with the exception that the valve stem being locked to the diaphragm assembly, insures positive movement of the valve with every movement of the diaphragm. The extreme accessibility of theimproved construction permits reversing the valve seat or examination of the valve and other parts quickly and with but little effort, and by deflecting and scattering the incoming high pressure gas in the manner set out, freezing through localized impingement of the gases is sub-,

stantially overcome.

Having thus described my improved construction in a gas pressure regulator, what I claim is:

In a gas pressure regulator of the character described having a high pressure inlet, a low pressure chamber closed on one side by a flexible disk diaphragmand a valve controlling a passageway from said inlet to said low pressure chamber, a

T tubular hub secured centrally through said diaphragm, a tubular member screwed from the low bottom of said chamber providing a seat for said valve between it and said chamber, a stem extending from said valve through said tubular member and through said diaphragm and hub, means detachably securing said stem at the outer end of said hub consisting of a U-shaped lock washer engaging a groove across the stem and seated against the outer end of the hub, and means sealing the stem against theleakage of gas consisting of a cap screwed to the outer end of the hub covering said stem and lock washer.

LUDWIG W. STETINER. 

